Nintendo shutting down WiFi connection on Wii and DS in May

First announce in Japan, Nintendo of America has confirmed that multiplayer support for the older original Wii and DS systems will end in May.

Here is the full release from the video game maker:

As of May 20, 2014, certain online functionality offered through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection will no longer be accessible. The discontinued services include online play, matchmaking and leaderboards for many Wii, Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi games. For a comprehensive list of games and services that are affected, please check http://support.nintendo.com/servicesupdate. Users can still play the games in offline mode, which continues to offer a rich game-play experience.

Online play for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games will be unaffected (aside from the Wii mode on Wii U and Nintendo DS games on Nintendo 3DS family systems). Other online functionality, such as access to the Wii Shop Channel, the Nintendo DSi Shop and video-on-demand services, are also not affected at this time.

We at Nintendo sincerely thank our fans for their continued support of our company’s legacy systems. Your enthusiasm for games made for these systems speaks to their longevity, and the passion of Nintendo fan.